La fábrica was born, and almost 45 years later, the structure has been completely transformed into a spectacular and unique home. Show Full Text The factory, located just outside of Barcelona, was a WWI-era pollution machine that had closed down, and came with many repairs to be done when Ricardo Bofill and his team purchased it. After years of partial deconstruction, the determined architect proceeded to lace the exterior of the property with vegetation, and furnish the interior as a modern living and work space. La fábrica is a work in progress to this day, to which Bofill likens his own life, as his visions for the future continue to change shape. More info: Ricardo Bofill In 1973, Spanish architect Ricardo Bofill purchased a WWI-era cement factory near Barcelona Thanks for sharing! 3x per week 30,000,000+ monthly readers Error sending email. Travelandleisure. Ever wanted an entire island to yourself?

Turns out you can rent one on Airbnb. Bird Island, an atoll off the banks of Placencia, Belize, costs $495 a night, with a three-night minimum stay. Find some friends, split the cost, and you can offically go on the Best. Vacation. Ever. In addition to a private island, this Bird Island rental also includes: One of the best snorkeling and fishing areas in BelizeA kitchen for preparing an island picnicTransportation to and from island from PlacenciaTwo kayaksLocal phone and Wi-FiA lookout tower and sundeck The island is completely private, but if you're looking for some civilization, Placencia is a 20-minute trip away.

Cry, Heart, But Never Break: A Remarkable Illustrated Meditation on Loss and Life. “Each day, we wake slightly altered, and the person we were yesterday is dead,” John Updike wrote, “so why … be afraid of death, when death comes all the time?”

Half a millennium earlier, Montaigne posed the same question somewhat differently in his magnificent meditation on death and the art of living: “To lament that we shall not be alive a hundred years hence, is the same folly as to be sorry we were not alive a hundred years ago.” Yet mortality continues to petrify us — our own, and perhaps even more so that of our loved ones. And if the adult consciousness is so thoroughly unsettled by the notion of death, despite intellectually recognizing it as a necessary and inevitable part of life, how is the child consciousness to settle into comprehension and comfort? This warmly wistful story begins outside the “small snug house” where four children live with their beloved grandmother. But Death eventually curls his bony hand over the cup to signal that the time has come.
Couple builds greenhouse around home to grow food and keep warm : The Hearty Soul. The old saying goes: those who live in a glass house shouldn’t throw stones.

But they never said anything about fruits and vegetables. For one family in Sweden, living in a glass house is a reality. Well, sort of. They actually built a greenhouse around their home! A Greenhouse to a Green Home Charles Sacilotto and Marie Grammar wanted a way to escape the cold winters of Sweden in an environmentally friendly way.
Constellation Ring Blue Goldstone gemstone ring in par MGMetal. Prepare for battle: these sleds are built for "full-contact racing"
If you've been sitting around thinking about all the fantastic sledding opportunities afforded by the upcoming winter blast (we suggest Snow Creek, Heavenly Mountain Resort, Timberlee Hills, or Mad River Mountain for your downhill thrills), you've probably also spent time wishing that your crappy sled had a hand brake.

How about a roll cage? If your only goal is to make it down the hill before anyone else... by any means necessary... then the Sledoon might be just the sled for you. This concept design won first prize in the UK IOM3 Design Innovation in Plastics competition in 2003, and it's easy to see why.. it looks like a total blast. The Sledoon was created specifically with "full-contact racing" in mind, meaning you're supposed to use them to slam into one another on the way down the hill... they'll even keep sliding when they get knocked upside down.

From the designer: Unfortunately, they're just a concept, and as far as we can tell haven't even officially been produced. Greg Newkirk. Billwaldropdaylilies. Never Leave Your Bed Again With This Awesome Japanese Invention. This is how the Japanese stay warm in the winter, or how you can stay in bed all day!

The kotatsu consists of a blanket placed between a low table-frame and table-top, with a heat source placed underneath the blanket. With your legs placed under the blanket, someone wearing traditional Japanese clothing would have warm air come through the bottom of their robes and exit around the neck, heating the whole body. The origins of the kotatsu can be traced to the 14th century Japanese irori, or cooking hearth. By the 17th century, irori dug into the ground, called hori-gotatsu, resembled a fixed kotatsu. Modern kotatsu, which are moveable, are referred to as oki-gotatsu. (h/t: aplus, demilked) Image credits: Belle Maison Image credits: Matthew McVickar / Sjschen Image credits: Hamamatsu Kamera Tsuushin.